Sale of historic Ponsonby villa supports renewal of state homes

Kāinga Ora Chief Executive Matt Crockett says the sale is part of a nationwide effort to upgrade and future-proof social homes throughout the country.

“This is just one of 279 properties we’ve sold so far this year that are no longer suitable for social housing,” he says.

“The $154 million we’ve gained from these sales is being reinvested into social housing — building new, warm, dry homes where they’re most needed, or completing extensive upgrades to extend the life of our existing homes.

“Many of these properties are expensive to maintain and no longer meet the needs of our tenants,” he says.

“Our renewals programme will see us upgrade or replace around 2,000 homes each year, with the goal of renewing more than half of our 78,000 homes within the next 30 years.”

He says selling a high-value property like 18 Trinity Street is a practical way to support this work.

“It just makes sense to sell a home like this, when the proceeds can go towards improving or building many more homes across the country,” Mr Crockett says.